THE role of gas in the Philippines鈥 energy transition must be reviewed in light of the unreliability of supply from the Malampaya field and the drastic tightening of the market following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a think tank said.
Avril de Torres,聽deputy executive director of聽Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), said during an online forum on Friday that securing renewable energy (RE) has been a recurring problem in the Philippines since 2016, especially for the Luzon grid.
鈥淪ince 2016, we have been experiencing annual red and yellow alerts, especially in the Luzon grid, most frequently during the summer,鈥 said Ms. De Torres, referring to periods when power reserves fall to near or below their minimum safety levels.
Gas has been billed as a relatively clean 鈥渢ransition鈥 fuel for the energy industry pending the establishment of renewable capacity, and a significant portion of the Luzon grid鈥檚 power plants depend on gas piped in from northern Palawan to Batangas.
The imminent depletion of Malampaya has set into motion plans for the Philippines to rely on imported gas, the market for which has since been disrupted by Europe鈥檚 efforts to wean itself away from Russian energy.
According to Ms. De Torres, the yellow and red alerts are mainly due to coal-fired聽plants and gas-fired plants reporting shutdowns or undergoing derating due to Malampaya gas restrictions.
鈥淓very time there is a Malampaya gas restriction, more often than not a yellow alert will soon follow,鈥 Ms. De Torres said.
The Department of Energy (DoE) estimates that the Philippine power mix is 47% coal-fired. Natural gas accounts for 22% and renewables for 24%, including hydro, geothermal, wind, and solar. Oil-based sources account for 6.2%.
The government should 鈥渞ationalize energy sources that will allow the Philippines to meet the 1.5掳C temperature goal under the Paris agreement,鈥 Ms. De Torres said. 鈥 Ashley Erika O. Jose
